BURIED INSIDE

So far, Relapse Records is on a roll in 2009. First, Tomb's Winter Hours and now Ottawa, Canada's own Buried Inside brings us Spoils of Failure.

Honestly, I was not expecting to dig this so much. Especially since their 2004 release, Chronoclast grew off of me pretty quickly. I listened to it for about a month and then just didn't have the urge to really listen to it anymore. I always respected what the band was doing and the music they created together, it just didn't grab hold and shake me. Being burnt out on any music that fits into this genre for a while now, minus the mainstays in my music library, I had pretty neutral expectations towards this record. Most post-metal/doom projects have seemed to run together over time and I just stopped checking them out. Unless they are highly recommended. In which case, a chance would be taken. Unfortunately, the majority of their suggestions usually just left me unimpressed. After listening to Spoils of Failure, I have been completely coerced out of that mentality. This album did grab hold and shook fucking hard.

First off, this is a much more professional release. They stripped away the bullshit and really got down to business. I think Chronoclast wasn't as captivating because they hadn't found their sound yet. Kind of a vacuous thing to state, when it was their 3rd release but t just felt jumbled and directionless to me. Nonetheless, there's no question that they found their sound with this album. Much like Chronoclast, melody still serves as Buried Inside's main focus and foundation for songwriting. Though, they definitely decided to take a slightly more atmospheric approach on this record and they execute it well. Spoils maintains such a sullen aura from start to finish. There's no real glimmer of hope or silver lining to be found. It's bleak in the most ravishing way. All instruments form together creating mammoth crescendos and short interludes that tease and render you helpess. There's very little "calm before the storm" so enjoy the breaks while you can. In the midst of the madness, all three vocalists simultaneously spit blood with every tortured bellow, akin to Tragedy.

Now for some slight negative facets. With the exception of a few riffs(the ending of 'V' being one) there aren't really any that stand out. Drums and vocals carry the bulk of this album for the most part. Not trying to discredit the other musicians, that was just the most prominent aspect of the record for me. No major complaints here, regardless. Soils plays like a giant opus, every track segues and flows so freely into each other. Deeming this a good quality in a record is rare because it typically sounds like a trainwreck. It works here though, almost effortlessly.

I listen to Spoils of Failure and imagine sitting outside watching a tornado from less than a mile away, not even phased, finding the allure in chaos. While that last statement sounded overly poetic, it truly sums up this record. Intense, primal, and most important, ominous. Not to mention, with Kurt Ballou at the helm, the production is compelling and virtually flawless. I feel a lot of people will listen to it and express that there really isn't anything special about it. In a small sense, I can agree, it's nothing incredibly refreshing, i suppose. However, there's one single aspect that really piques my sudden love for this record...passion.

Label:
Relapse Records

Official Site:
http://www.myspace.com/buriedinside

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